Harrods appoints Jasvinder Sanghera as advocate for survivors of alleged abuse

Harrods has appointed Dame Jasvinder Sanghera arsenic an advocator for survivors of alleged maltreatment by its precocious erstwhile proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed.

The section store said “over 290 individuals” were “engaged” successful its claims process, arsenic it announced the quality rights campaigner’s assignment arsenic autarkic subsister advocate.

Justice for Harrods Survivors said “only a genuinely independent, robust and transparent process” could code the needs of survivors.

Harrods said Dame Jasvinder would “play a cardinal relation successful ensuring a trauma-informed attack to the claims process”.

The section store said the assignment was an hold of its claims process which “includes counselling arsenic good arsenic outgo of each tenable ineligible fees incurred by claimants”.

Harrods said Dame Jasvinder’s assignment was communicated to survivors successful the Harrods process connected Monday, adding she would beryllium “meeting with and proceeding from arsenic galore of the survivors arsenic imaginable and offering support”.

Dame Jasvinder said she was “honoured to beryllium a portion of this project” arsenic she believed “Harrods privation to get this right”.

Justice for Harrods Survivors, a radical of barristers representing alleged victims of Al Fayed, said: “We stock the concerns implicit the Harrods process highlighted successful the Financial Times nonfiction connected October 25.

“We basal firmly with our survivors and judge that lone a genuinely independent, robust and transparent process tin statesman to code their needs.”

It is wide that Mohamed Fayed was a predator who exploited his presumption and powerfulness to systematically maltreatment women successful assorted settings

Dame Jasvinder Sanghera

In a statement, Dame Jasvinder said: “Throughout my vocation and lifelong work, I person consistently highlighted the value of centring the experiences of susceptible women who person faced maltreatment wrong institutions and organisations.

“As a survivor, I person shared my idiosyncratic travel to advocator for meaningful change. A trauma-informed approach, which provides broad enactment and entree to resources for women who person experienced trauma, is indispensable for their recovery.

“Crucially, this enactment includes offering these women an autarkic advocator who tin correspond their experiences and talk connected their behalf.

“I firmly judge that survivors merit practice from idiosyncratic who genuinely understands and prioritises their champion interests.

“It is wide that Mohamed Fayed was a predator who exploited his presumption and powerfulness to systematically maltreatment women successful assorted settings.

“I americium honoured to beryllium a portion of this task arsenic I fundamentally judge Harrods privation to get this right”.

Mr Al Fayed acquired Harrods for £615 cardinal successful 1985 and aft 26 years successful complaint sold it to the Qatari royal household for a reported £1.5 cardinal successful 2010.

He died successful 2023, aged 94.